CAS said it would publish only a short media release tomorrow and reveal the full decision at a later date.

Even the short public announcement will allow various parties to move forward in what has become a contentious issue involving the Russian team, the UCI, and the riders caught in the middle.

Team director Dmitri Konyshev, attending the first stage at the Volta ao Algarve on Thursday, said he would wait to comment until the decision is revealed, adding, “We hope for good news. We will wait for tomorrow.”

In December, the UCI Licensing Committee decided against awarding Katusha a ProTeam license for 2013, meaning that it would be relying on invitations to race the season’s major events.

Now racing with a Pro Continental license, Katusha has already been overlooked for some important races, including a slot in the Giro d’Italia. The Tour de France wildcards are expected by early April, so tension is growing inside the Katusha bus.

Several riders have clauses in their contracts allowing them to leave the team if it does not retain its WorldTour status, among them Joaquim Rodríguez.

It’s hard to say exactly what will happen if Katusha wins at CAS. UCI officials told VeloNews that the WorldTour will remain at 18 teams and that a new review of licenses would begin if Katusha wins at CAS.

So, if Katusha were readmitted, another team would be removed. That would all but assure a new round of appeals to CAS.

Andrew Hood

Andrew Hood cut his journalistic teeth at Colorado dailies before the web boom opened the door to European cycling in the mid-1990s. Hood has covered every Tour de France since 1996 and has been VeloNews' European correspondent since 2002.